Zenni anti-reflective coatings
January 11, 2021 9:37 AM Subscribe
Zenni anti-reflective coatings: are the premium ("super hydrophobic" and "oleophobic") ones better than the basic one?
I'm picky about my glasses being dirty (either smudges or bits of lint.) I have also concluded that having an anti-reflective coating is non-negotiable for me after trying a pair without it. But Zenni has multiple different coating options! Has anyone tried more than one of Zenni's different coating options and if so can you tell me how the experience differs in terms of the glasses being/staying clean and clear to look through? I can imagine the pricier ones being either not substantially different or somehow less good (I know some coatings flake off easily, for example.) I am specifically looking for Zenni experiences since this stuff can very.
I'm picky about my glasses being dirty (either smudges or bits of lint.) I have also concluded that having an anti-reflective coating is non-negotiable for me after trying a pair without it. But Zenni has multiple different coating options! Has anyone tried more than one of Zenni's different coating options and if so can you tell me how the experience differs in terms of the glasses being/staying clean and clear to look through? I can imagine the pricier ones being either not substantially different or somehow less good (I know some coatings flake off easily, for example.) I am specifically looking for Zenni experiences since this stuff can very.
Agree that it makes a large positive difference. I've been a Zenni user for years and have recently decided to swing for the oleophobic coating. Well worth it.
posted by I_count_crows at 12:06 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by I_count_crows at 12:06 PM on January 11, 2021
Yes. I got my current pair from a different company because I liked the frame, and was promptly reminded that I'd forgotten all about smudgy lenses in the years I'd had the Zenni coatings.
posted by teremala at 12:09 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by teremala at 12:09 PM on January 11, 2021
FWIW: I have the oleophobic coating and my glasses still get smudgier than I would like, about 1–3 times per day. But they do wipe clean pretty easily with a microfiber cloth, and I haven't had a non-oleophobic pair from Zenni to compare to (they might be much worse without it).
posted by Ryon at 1:10 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by Ryon at 1:10 PM on January 11, 2021
The hydrophobic coating is so good I've worn my glasses in a swimming pool (I am very VERY nearsighted) and the water just beads up and you can blow it away.
posted by Aquifer at 1:39 PM on January 11, 2021
posted by Aquifer at 1:39 PM on January 11, 2021
I bought a pair with the super hydrophobic coating 9 months ago and they were great for a while but in the past month are starting to stay permasmudged and there's some light scratching.
I do have to wipe my glasses with a microfibre cloth more than the average joe b/c I seem to get a lot of dead skin on the inside of my glasses.
posted by MonsieurBon at 2:54 PM on January 11, 2021
I do have to wipe my glasses with a microfibre cloth more than the average joe b/c I seem to get a lot of dead skin on the inside of my glasses.
posted by MonsieurBon at 2:54 PM on January 11, 2021
Oleophobic coating still get dirty, it's just a little easier to wipe off with standard lens cloth they include in the case. I got that in my latest pair (and photochromatic too) and I still wipe it a few times a day.
I have both oily skin and oily hair, and it sucks keeping my glasses clean.
posted by kschang at 6:31 PM on January 11, 2021
I have both oily skin and oily hair, and it sucks keeping my glasses clean.
posted by kschang at 6:31 PM on January 11, 2021
FYI if you use anything to wipe your glasses--even a microfiber cloth--over time you will wipe the coating off as well. Any coating of this sort is a one-molecule thick thing apply to the surface of the lens and wiping/rubbing/etc will eventually remove it.
Far preferred is to wash with a little bit of soap (a micro-dot of dishwashing soap, for example) rub the soapy water around with your fingertips only (no cloth or the like) and then rinse well with plenty of clean water.
The soap will remove any oily smudges and then the water will remove the soap.
Once you're to that point, with the hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings still in good shape, the remaining water will bead up and with a few light taps you can just get those drops to roll off. So you have washed and dried it without ever rubbing it with anything (towel, kleenex, etc).
If you rub it to dry the water off (towel, kleenex, paper towel, toilet paper, etc etc etc) again you are rubbing the coating right off the surface over time. Additionally, any paper product has tons of little micro-abrasive things that will remove any coating in pretty fast order and, in addition, cover the surface of your glasses with zillions of microabrasions.
If you must use something to dry the water off of the lenses, pat gently and never rub at all. With the hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings, water will bead up into a few discrete drops. If you can't just tap them off, you can soak them up by, for example, touching the corner of a tissue to each drop.
A few touches and it's dry. Again, NEVER rub. Any type of rubbing will rub the coating right off over a period of months.
Source: Done it both ways; the rubbing method removes the coating in a period of months; washing carefully and never rubbing it will last a few years at least.
Another source: Typical explanation of how how to wash lenses with coatings here.
posted by flug at 9:32 PM on January 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
Far preferred is to wash with a little bit of soap (a micro-dot of dishwashing soap, for example) rub the soapy water around with your fingertips only (no cloth or the like) and then rinse well with plenty of clean water.
The soap will remove any oily smudges and then the water will remove the soap.
Once you're to that point, with the hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings still in good shape, the remaining water will bead up and with a few light taps you can just get those drops to roll off. So you have washed and dried it without ever rubbing it with anything (towel, kleenex, etc).
If you rub it to dry the water off (towel, kleenex, paper towel, toilet paper, etc etc etc) again you are rubbing the coating right off the surface over time. Additionally, any paper product has tons of little micro-abrasive things that will remove any coating in pretty fast order and, in addition, cover the surface of your glasses with zillions of microabrasions.
If you must use something to dry the water off of the lenses, pat gently and never rub at all. With the hydrophobic/oleophobic coatings, water will bead up into a few discrete drops. If you can't just tap them off, you can soak them up by, for example, touching the corner of a tissue to each drop.
A few touches and it's dry. Again, NEVER rub. Any type of rubbing will rub the coating right off over a period of months.
Source: Done it both ways; the rubbing method removes the coating in a period of months; washing carefully and never rubbing it will last a few years at least.
Another source: Typical explanation of how how to wash lenses with coatings here.
posted by flug at 9:32 PM on January 11, 2021 [1 favorite]
I swear by the Zenni oleophobic coating, it seems to be an actual hard coating rather than something that flakes off easily. Since it stands up pretty well (as far as coatings go), when I clean my glasses I use my fingertips with a no-residue hand soap (Dove bar, foaming stuff, etc) and spread it around very gently. Then rinse with warm or even hot water -- the water beads up and mostly shakes off, and the stragglers can be blotted with a tissue or clean shirt. With this method I see the coating developing slight imperfections after two years (and only noticeable from "outside"), but still way better than uncoated glasses would be after a year.
posted by Standard Orange at 1:30 PM on January 12, 2021
posted by Standard Orange at 1:30 PM on January 12, 2021
FWIW, I opted for the superduperultramegawhatever anti-smudge coating with Zenni once and they seemed just as smudge-prone as they'd ever been. YMMV. (I did keep the standard anti-reflective coating, though).
posted by Rhaomi at 7:48 PM on January 12, 2021
posted by Rhaomi at 7:48 PM on January 12, 2021
Response by poster: Update [1/?]: I ended up getting the midrange coating (“super hydrophobic” but not oleophobic.) Glasses arrived Wednesday and I’m quite happy with them so far. But I haven’t cleaned them yet because...
my new glasses strategy, as someone who is picky about vision and is often very frustrated with my glasses being dirty or moving around (especially when I’m trying to read), was to buy a (not particularly flattering or attractive, to me) pair of metal glasses that have nosepads, fairly small lenses, and by measurements would fit me very precisely to keep in a case for use only as reading glasses even though they are the same prescription as my everyday glasses (which are a bit bigger and have no nosepads and which I find more aesthetically appealing.) I also intentionally got them in plain standard index 1.5 lenses rather than thinner/higher-index lenses even though my eyes are -5.25 & -3.75 (with some astigmatism correction, and mild prisms) because the standard index lenses have better clarity than most higher-index options (which I read about in more detail here.) Because the lenses are small, the glasses don’t seem heavy or thick.
For about $30, this feels like a very good strategy and I wish I’d done it earlier.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:24 AM on January 29, 2021
my new glasses strategy, as someone who is picky about vision and is often very frustrated with my glasses being dirty or moving around (especially when I’m trying to read), was to buy a (not particularly flattering or attractive, to me) pair of metal glasses that have nosepads, fairly small lenses, and by measurements would fit me very precisely to keep in a case for use only as reading glasses even though they are the same prescription as my everyday glasses (which are a bit bigger and have no nosepads and which I find more aesthetically appealing.) I also intentionally got them in plain standard index 1.5 lenses rather than thinner/higher-index lenses even though my eyes are -5.25 & -3.75 (with some astigmatism correction, and mild prisms) because the standard index lenses have better clarity than most higher-index options (which I read about in more detail here.) Because the lenses are small, the glasses don’t seem heavy or thick.
For about $30, this feels like a very good strategy and I wish I’d done it earlier.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:24 AM on January 29, 2021
Response by poster: A month in: I definitely recommend the hydrophobic coatings. I have long cleaned my glasses by washing them with water + a drop of dish soap, but they often dry with spots on them unless I very tediously try to capillary-action up each drop of water (and sometimes even then have spots.) With they hydrophobic coating they dry clear.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:30 PM on March 1, 2021
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:30 PM on March 1, 2021
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posted by SeedStitch at 9:58 AM on January 11, 2021 [2 favorites]